
Controlling interfaces of phase-separating fluid mixtures is key to the creation of diverse functional soft materials. Traditionally, this is accomplished with surface-modifying chemical agents. Using experiment and theory, we studied how mechanical activity shapes soft interfaces that separate an active and a passive fluid. Chaotic flows in the active fluid give rise to giant interfacial fluctuations and noninertial propagating active waves. At high activities, stresses disrupt interface continuity and drive droplet generation, producing an emulsion-like active state composed of finite-sized droplets. When in contact with a solid boundary, active interfaces exhibit nonequilibrium wetting transitions, in which the fluid climbs the wall against gravity. These results demonstrate the promise of mechanically driven interfaces for creating a new class of soft active matter.
Condensed Matter - Materials Science, Fluid Dynamics (physics.flu-dyn), Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft), Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci), FOS: Physical sciences, Physics - Fluid Dynamics, Condensed Matter - Soft Condensed Matter, Chaotic Dynamics (nlin.CD), Nonlinear Sciences - Chaotic Dynamics
Condensed Matter - Materials Science, Fluid Dynamics (physics.flu-dyn), Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft), Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci), FOS: Physical sciences, Physics - Fluid Dynamics, Condensed Matter - Soft Condensed Matter, Chaotic Dynamics (nlin.CD), Nonlinear Sciences - Chaotic Dynamics
| selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 96 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Top 1% | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Top 10% | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Top 1% |
